Taking care of your hair extensions the right way can give them a longer lifespan. Keep reading to learn about these best hair extension maintenance tips.
Have you ever wanted to add length to your hair or put in a unique streak of color? Maybe you want to cover a bad cut or color? The sure-fire way to do this is with hair extensions.
If you’ve already had hair extensions in the past, then you know it takes special tender love and care to keep them looking fabulous. If you’ve never had extensions, then you might need a little bit of guidance.
For those who never had extensions, or those who just need a refresher course, here are few tips for hair extension maintenance.
1. The Lifespan of Hair Extensions
If you’re on top of your hair extension care, then they can last for a year, maybe even longer depending on how often you wear them.
The more you wash and style your extensions the shorter their lifespan gets, so keep washing and product use to a minimum. One important thing to note is that extensions don’t have a hydration source like your natural hair. You will need to keep them moisturized to reduce dryness.
For that, you can actually pick up a moisturizing or hydrating hair mask for both your extensions and natural hair.
2. Storing Your Hair Extensions
One of the key things to hair extension care is learning how to prep and store them. When you’re prepping your extensions for storage, it’s best to gather the hair together and brush it from the bottom to the top. If you come across an annoying knot you can take out the problem bundle and brush through it individually. When brushing your extensions always be gentle to reduce shedding and breakage.
Once you brush your extensions out, use a hair tie to secure the base of the hair in a ponytail, gently roll it into a ball, and then place it in a box.
If you want a little wave to your look the next time you go out you can gently knot the hair together before you put it in storage.
If you’re storing them so you can sell them, then you might benefit from learning how to drop ship hair.
3. Preventing Tangling
All hair extensions can and will tangle eventually. It’s caused by the friction of your natural hair rubbing against hair extensions. If you sleep, shower, or swim with your extensions in, this can make it worse.
The best way to get rid of this is to stay on top of regular brushing. Always have a brush on hand so even when you’re out you can give them a quick brush through. This is why you also want to brush them every time you put them in and take them out.
4. Take Them Out Before Bed
As stated above, you want to take out your extensions before you go to bed every night. This is because the little combs that come with clip-on extensions can be very uncomfortable to sleep on.
They are also more fragile sew-in extensions and sleeping in them can make them tangle and break. Start removing them from the top extensions, then the middle, and then the bottom. After that, it’s just a matter of storing them.
5. Reducing Shedding
Here’s something you probably didn’t know: you will shed around 100 strands of your natural hair a day. If your extensions are made of natural hair, expect to shed just as much.
Washing your extensions too much will cause them to dry out and shed. The more product you use when you’re styling them, the more often you will need to wash them. It’s a vicious cycle. The best way to approach things is to use as little product as possible.
If you want more curl then instead of using a product pin them up overnight to create natural curls. If you really feel like you need to hairspray them into place then use a lightweight formula. Extra strength spray will clog up your extensions.
6. How Often Should You Wash Them
Hair extensions don’t need to be washed as often as your natural hair. The less you wash them the longer they will last actually.
Natural hair builds up oil that needs to be washed out on a regular basis. Hair extensions are obviously not part of the scalp so they won’t build up the same oil. If you wash it every 15-20 wears or so, you should be fine.
Usually, the only time they need to be washed is if there is product buildup on them. A good indicator that it’s time to wash them is if they become really hard to style.
7. Washing the Extensions
When you’re washing your extensions it is important that you hydrate them as much as possible. Again, your hair extensions don’t receive the same nutrients and oils that your natural hair does so it’s important you take extra measures to make sure your set is hydrated. This will keep them looking healthy.
Stay away from products that contain sulfate and alcohol. These two ingredients will just serve to dry your extensions out.
8. Coloring Your Extensions
If you decide you want to color your extensions, it’s best that you go to a salon and find a professional that knows how to work with extensions.
Like with your natural hair, it’s not a good idea to bleach your extensions. They’ve probably already been dyed before they got to you. Forcing bleach on to hair that’s already been dyed will lead to damaged hair.
Your Guide to Hair Extension Maintenance
If you’ve never worn extensions before, hair extension maintenance can seem like a lot. It’s really just a matter of keeping them hydrated because they don’t have the same oils as your natural hair does. If they dry out, you won’t be able to wear them as long. Protect your investment and take good care of your extensions.
For more ways to take care of your hair amongst other things, then visit the tips section of our blog.
